Tobacco can elevator



June 28, 1949'. A. H. LAvlETEs y TOBACCO CAN ELEVAOR Filed May 17, 1947 A avi.

Patented June 28, 1949 UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for supporting and shifting upwardly the contents of a container, particularly the type of container in which the material or contents is enclosed in a package of some protective material, such as treated paper, cellophane and the like, which is removed as it is used from the open top of the container, and it is ordinarily necessary to shift the package to more readily gain access to the contents in the lower part thereof. An example of this type of package is the common tobacco can.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple device which may be mounted in the can at one side of the package, and readily operable to raise the package with a step-by-step movement as the contents are removed from the top of the package.

A further object is to provide an improved and simplified construction of such a package shifting device which will require very little space at the side of the container, and which is of such simple construction that it will add very little to the cost of the container.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specication. It is, however, to be understood the invention is not limited to the specic details of construction and arrangement shown, but may embody various changes and modications within the scope of the invention. f

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the complete device including the container with the package support and package therein;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation ci the package support removed from the container;

Fig. 3 is a rear View thereof;

Fig, 4 is a perspective view of the support and a portion of the means for mounting this support, looking from the iront thereof;

(Cl. 20G-41.1)

a lid or closure which is usually hinged to the body of the container. The contents are usually removed from the top of the container, and after those at the top of the package have been removed it becomes progressively more difficult to remove the contents in the lower part of the package. To overcome these objections and to facilitate access to and removal of the contents, this supporting device is mounted in the container between one side of the package and a wall of the container, and it includes a device for supporting a package and progressively shifting it upwardly toward the open top as the contents are removed. Although the device is shown as applied to a tobacco can, it will be understood it may be used with any container where it is desired to shift the contents or a package in the container toward the open top to facilitate access thereto.

In the drawing a conventional tobacco can is indicated at l0, which is relatively tall and wide with respect to its thickness, and comprises upright Side and end Walls Il and l2. It is closed at its lower end by a bottom wall i3 and is open at its upper end, which is closed by la lid or closure I4 secured by any suitable means, such as a hinge l5, and preferably this closure has a peripheral side flange i6 embracing the upper end portion ci the can. Within this can are the contents in a package il, in the present example comprising cut tobacco i8 enclosed in a flexible material l 9, such for example as treated paper, or cellophane, or the like.

Mounted in the container between the package and a Wall of the container, preferably between the package and one end wall, is my improved package support and elevating device comprising an upright guide member 2B and a package or material support or carrier 2l` The guide member l2l) is preferably of a hat strip of material, y

such, for example, as a thin strip of metal, and is provided at its lower end with a horizontal supporting foot 22 resting on the bottom wall i3 of the container lll with the upright portion at the inner side of the end wall i2. This guide vmember is provided with a longitudinal slot 23 provided along one side edge with a Series ci ratchet teeth 24, the lower edges of these teeth being inclined and their upper edges substantially horizontal, as shown.

Mounted for longitudinal reciprocating movement in the guide member is a ratchet 25. This is preferably a narrow bar provided along one edge with a series of ratchet teeth 26 also inclined at their lower edges and horizontal at their upper edges, and preferably located immediately to the rear of the slot 23. A convenient means for mounting this rack is by an ear 2l bent backwardly from the upper end of the member 2G and another ear 28 cut and bent laterally from the lower portion of this member, in which the upper and lower end portions 29 and 3i) respectively of the rack bar are mounted for sliding movement. A light coil spring 3l embraces the lower portion of this rack bar and rests on the ear 23 at its lower end, while engaging a shoulder 32 on the bar at its upper end, so that it tends to shift this rack bar upwardly, upward movement of the rack being limited by a suitable stop means, such, for example, as the upper tooth 33 engaging the upper end 34 of the slot 23. The upper end 219 of the rack is positioned so as to be engaged by the closure It when this closure is in closed position to depress the rack to its lower position, as shown in Fig. 1. As soon as the closure is opened the rack will be shifted upwardly by the spring 3 I.

The material or package support or carrier 2l comprises a lower horizontal portion 35 at the under side of the package Il and forming a supporting portion on which this package rests. At one end of this supporting portion is an upright or body portion 36 positioned at the forward side of the guide member 23, and which is mounted for longitudinal sliding movement on this guide member. For this purpose, a suitable number of lugs 31 are cut and bent laterally from the opposite side edges of the body portion 36, these lugs being formed by cutting the member 36 part way across from its opposite side edges and then bending the intermediate portion between two spaced cuts backwardly, as shown in Fig. 5. These are passed through the slot 23 of the guide member 2Q and lie adjacent the rear sur- -face of this guide member and embrace the edges of the slot, and thus guide the support 2| for vertical sliding movement on the member 29. At its upper end the support 2l is provided with a rearwardly extending ear or lug 38 forming a shoulder engaging the ratchet teeth 25 on the rack 25, this lug extending backwardly through the slot 23.

Means is provided to hold the support or carrier 2! against downward movement when the rack 25 moves downwardly. This comprises a lug 39 cut or lanced and bent backwardly from the upright body portion 36 of the carrier or support. Preferably, it is formed at the upper edge of a notch resulting from the formation of one of the guiding lugs 31, as shown clearly in Figs. 2, 4, and 6, and positioned so as to engage the teeth 2li along the edge of the slot 23. It will be evident this makes an extremely simple construction which does not require any extra material on the carrier 2I or the loss of any material, because it is merely lanced and bent backwardly from the upright body portion of this carrier or support immediately in alignment with the series of teeth 24 at'the edge of the slot in the guide member. This provides a spring pawl or lug which can yield to permit the support or carrier ZI to slide upwardly and then spring over the top edge of the individual teeth 24 to hold the support and prevent its moving downwardly.

In operation, the rack 25 may be operated either by hand or the closure I4. When this closure is swung to the closed position of Fig. l, it will engage the upper end 29 of the rack bar and depress this rack against action of the spring 3l This will shift one of the teeth 26 of the rack downwardly past the lug or shoulder 38 on the support or carrier 2 I. Then when the closure lll is opened, the spring 3| will shift the rack bar 25 upwardly and with it the support or carrier 2l as the shoulder 38 is engaged over one of the teeth 26. This will shi-ft the support 2l and the package upwardly that amount. When the closure is again swung to the closed position the rack will again be shifted downwardly, carrying the next tooth past the lug 28. During this movement the carrier 2l is held against downward movement by engagement of the free end of the spring pawl or lug 39 on the top of one of the teeth 24 along the edge of the slot 23 in the upright guide member 20. Therefore, as the closure is opened and closed, the support 2l with the package I'I is shifted upwardly by a step by step movement through operation of this ratchet and holding means. The same effect may be secured by operating the ratchet bar by alternately depressing and releasing the rack bar 2| by pressure of the hand or other suitable means on the upper end of this bar. It will thus be seen this provides a very simple and effective means for raising the package in the container through the top or open end of the container as the contents of the package are removed or used, giving ready access to the material in the package for the full height of the package, and permitting removal oi the contents always at the top of the container.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a container comp-rising upright walls and open at the top, a pivoted closure for said open top, an upright guide member in the container adjacent one of said walls and comprising a substantially iiat strip provided with a longitudinal slot having a series of teeth along one edge of said slot, said teeth having substantially horizontal upper edges, a toothed rack mounted for longitudinal reciprocating movement in said guide member, a material support comprising a horizontal supporting portion extending laterally vfrom the guide member and an upright portion provided with lugs cut and bent laterally from the upright portion engaging over the edges of the slot to guide said support for longitudinal sliding movement along the guide member, said support being provided with a shoulder having one way operative engagement with the teeth of the rack to shift the support upwardly, a spring lug cut and bent laterally from said upright portion of the support and inclined downwardly directlyT from said portion with its lower free end in position to engage the upper edges of the teeth at the edge of the slot to prevent downward movement of the support, and means for causing reciprocating movement of the rack to elevate the support.

2. In a container comprising upright walls and open at the top, a pivoted closure for the open top, an upright guide member in the container comprising a substantially flat strip provided with a longitudinal slot having a series of teeth in one edge of said slot, said teeth having substantially horizontal upper edges, a toothed rack mounted for longitudinal reciprocating movement in the guide member, a spring tending to shift the rack upwardly, the upper end of the rack being positioned to be depressed by closing movement of the closure, a support for material mounted for 1ongtudinal sliding movementl along the guide member and provided with a shoulder having one way operative engagement with the teeth of the rack to shift the support upwardly, said support comprising a horizontal portion to support the material and an upright body portion secured to and slidable along the guide member, and a spring lug cut and bent laterally from the body portion and inclined laterally and downwardly directly from said portion in position for its free end to engage the upper edges of the teeth at the edge of the slot to prevent downward movement of the support.

ABRAHAM H. LAVIETES.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,835,278 Case Dec. 8, 1931 1,940,313 Mac Alle!` Dec. 19, 1933 1,983,083 Irelan Dec. 4, 1934 

